English is crazy.
– From many languages
– Spoken in many countries
English speakers are lazy.
– Pronunciation
– Contractions
– a / an, the / “thee”
– Culture
English talks in pictures.
– Figures of speech
– Geometry
– Noun cases
Circle the verb…
…box the noun, triangle the modifiers, double-underline WH words, parentheses helping verbs, brace pronouns, underline prepositions.
Every verb has a “do”…
…just how every number has a “times 1”. Sometimes we even write it.
English says everything, once.
– Ideas: Say what you mean, implication is unreliable.
– Noun number, verb conjugation
– Capitalization
– Punctuation
– …a “legal language”
– Avoid using the same word multiple times; use pronouns or compounds.
English raps like beatbox.
– Liquid consonants
– Starts & stops
– Sentence pronunciation
– Sing emotion and meaning through tone
Ride to learn.
– Teachers must ride students
– Parents must ride children
– Students must study cooperatively
– Individuals must ride themselves
Skills spiral in paired sets.
Never study one skill to improve that skill alone; study one skill to improve the other. In each skill set, you excel at both or neither.
– Reading and writing
– Penmanship and composition
– Speaking and listening
– Typing and spelling
– Memorized literature and impromptu conversation
More words = more serious.
– Add “do” to mean “seriously” or “very”
– Use longer versions of sentences
– Anger, clarity, emphasis, etc.
Contrast & Repeat.
– Grammar charts must be used to rehearse, not as reference tables.
– Language is acquired and absorbed, not instructed or injected.
– English grammar is a technique, not an equation. It must be practiced, not studied. You can’t learn English same way as Math.
– Sciences evaluate finding correct answers through proper procedure; Arts evaluate combining proper technique with artistic license. English is an Art.
Learn daily.
– Lesser is better because lesser is more likely daily.
– Ten minutes every day will help more than two hours a week.
